In A First, Republicans Solicit Ideas For Party Platform Online

Republican leaders on Friday launched an innovative new effort to solicit ideas from and gather information about its grassroots cohorts through a new website designed to build its party platform.

The move is a sharp departure from the party’s traditional top-down, one-voice messaging techniques, and is a bold one at a time when there is plenty of dissent within its ranks.

The web site GOPPLatform2008.com, was launched Friday morning, but news of its first broke on the microblogging service Twitter, where the RNC’s eCampaign Director Cyrus Krohn quietly announced it.

The site requires users to register, and offers them the ability to submit their ideas either through text or via video.

Voters can view each others’ submissions online, and they can discuss their ideas with each other on a Google Group.

The site offers users the choice of submitting ideas on any subject they choose, or on a pre-selected group of top issues that include: accountability in education; energy and gas prices; healthcare reform; the economy; judicial nominations; national security and "protecting American values."

Republican leaders sounded several of this presidential campaign cycle’s popular themes in their video welcome messages.

"This web site really is about you: Your ideas, your issues, and most important of all, your aspirations," said RNC Chairman Mike Duncan in a pre-recorded online video.

"We want to hear your ideas, because the time has come to fix a broken Washington, and fight for solutions," said Republican party platform chairman and congressman Kevin McCarthy from California. "Let’s stand united, because together, we are the party of principled leadership and forward-looking solutions that can tackle our nation’s challenges and create prosperity for American families today and the next generation."

"May we all strive to keep the level of these discussions respectful in honor of this process," he said in his video message.

Managers of the effort at the RNC say that as long as the comments follow the guidelines of the site FAQ, they’ll remain published. The RNC has a team of about 10 staff on board and they’ll be perusing the site periodically.

Specifically, the guidelines state that:

All submissions will be published unless deemed hateful, vulgar, or inappropriate by the Platform Committee.

We encourage disagreements as part of the Platform debate but submissions deemed as aggressive attacks will not be published. Everyone’s opinion should be treated with respect.

Submissions of excessive length can and will be published, but concise, articulate thoughts are appreciated.

This week, Barack Obama’s campaign website saw a group of more than 20,000 people sign up on my.Barackobama.com using its e-mail group tool. The group was protesting Obama’s vote for a wiretapping bill that provides immunity to telecommunications companies from dozens and dozens of lawsuits for complying with the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretap orders.

Obama’s campaign staff replied to these supporters, but the senator ultimately ignored their pleas when he voted for the legislation.